The date of his birth and his choice of profession more or less determined Karel Goeyvaerts’s path. He was bound to mix with Stockhausen and Co. in Darmstadt where, like Stockhausen, he heard and was bowled over by Messiaen’s Mode de valeurs et d’intensités. Like Stockhausen, he studied with the French composer in Paris and, under his influence as well as Webern’s, he composed a sonata for two pianos (1950–51) which has kept his name alive. Goeyvaerts’s claim to fame is his having written the first totally serial work; he and Stockhausen performed it in Darmstadt and created quite a sensation. Significantly, the sonata bears the title “Nummer 1.” There followed several compositions taking the numbering further, Nummers 5 and 7 being electronic pieces produced at the WDR Studio in Cologne (1953 and 1955, respectively). In later years, Goeyvaerts wrote five compositions, which he called Litanies, their instrumentation varying from solo to orchestra. His final work was the opera Aquarius (1983–93).

The Belgian composer replied to my questions in English.

I.

No similar experience has occurred to me. Since I was very young, I was interested in the music of living composers. I listened to very much new music and I am sure this has influenced my way of thinking, but there has never been an important turn on my way. If Webern’s music influenced me much since the late 1940s, this occurred gradually, when studying his music more and more. In 1950/51 I wrote the first totally serial work of music which certainly had to do with Webern, but was already a big step ahead.

II.

I think it is not possible not to be influenced by the sounds of everyday life. Although when I am composing, I prefer to be in a quiet atmosphere. Milhaud could compose with street noises around him. They even seemed to stimulate him. But like most other composers (I guess), I prefer to transpose the sound world of everyday life into musical patterns when I am sufficiently far [away] to abstract it from reality.

III.

Individual style comes spontaneously and is not to be looked for. It is the result of a genuine and new musical idea. Every composer should refrain from composing whenever such an idea is lacking.